Unstable Transitions: Judgment
by DarkLordMephiles
Summary: The continuation/sequel to Unstable Transitions is finally here. David and the Legends prepare to stop whoever is behind the worlds merging and bring them to justice - but this might be far harder than any of them could believe.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N - You know, it's crazy. A year ago, I started Unstable Transitions on a whim - no planning, no long-term thing in mind... I just wanted to see where the idea would take me. Over that year, I like to think I've gotten better at this whole writing deal, since when I look back at some bits of the story... I'll admit, I cringe. Don't lie, I'm sure you all have found spots in this blasted thing that made you do the same!**_

_**Now, exactly a year later, I've begun writing Part Two. It's taken me long enough, and it figures that I'd get it done right after getting into college, but here it is. There's a bit more I have to say, but it can wait until after the chapter. So without further delay, I present to you the first chapter of Unstable Transitions: Judgment!**_

I leaned back in my rickety, duct-tape bound chair with a sigh, looking down at the makeshift book in front of me; well, more of a stack of paper held together with string, but you work with what you've got, right? The words across the front were almost scratched-on, due to an old, faulty pen: _'Unstable Transitions'_.

As I spun the chair around to look at my room, the newly-created stone standing out from the older material in the rebuilt home, I couldn't help but think back on some things. I used to be just another guy in a normal routine - get up, go to work, ride the bus home, eat and game, rinse and repeat. But one day changed it all; the day that started my story.

It had only been... maybe a month and a half since then. In that time, I'd fought Pokémon - myself, not with other Pokémon, mind you - watched my father die right in front of me, met an alternate version of myself, seen _that_ 'twin' die, and even had a duel with what I could only say was a Pokémon-human hybrid - where _that _had come from, I had no idea. And then there was my town being destroyed by a Legendary Pokémon, let's not forget that one.

The thoughts made me let out a bitter chuckle. "Heh… talk about a dream turned reality, right?" I muttered sarcastically to myself, shaking my head. It wasn't often that I wanted to go back to the boring life – and really, was it even possible? – but right about now, I'd almost go for it if I could.

"_You really should guard your thoughts more closely." _A voice echoed in my head, with _just _a hint of smugness behind it. That tone could only belong to one Pokémon… Mewtwo. _"Do I have any reason to __**not **__be… 'smug', as you put it?" _… damn Psychic. _"I thought not. However, I am not contacting you for a mere diversion, David. There are certain things that can no longer be put off."_

I gave a long sigh before pulling myself out of the chair, thinking a quick 'one minute' to Mewtwo. A quick glance at the window told me the other Legends were back from their usual duties, or at least Groudon was. After all, unless he's around, you don't get sunlight that literally shines through the blinds like they weren't there.

It was a quick process, mentally checking everything I had – in my situation, you'd leave a room prepared for anything, too. The 'book' stored away, check; Master Sword in its sheathe slung across my back, check. When I had everything I expected to need, I started making my way towards the door when movement on the wall caught my eye.

'_What the- oh, right; the mirror.' _I thought, shaking my head as I put away the blade I'd not even realize I had drawn; I was jumpier than usual, and that's saying something. That aside, I took a moment to glance over the guy in the reflective window, and if I hadn't known it was a mirror I'd have wondered who it was.

He had my black, Absol-design shirt and my often-fixed jeans. There was my build, too - skinny, but with some muscle built up from actually having to fight. Hell, even my face was there... mostly. The structure was the same, the hair was the same brown color; the eyes were off, though. They were the eyes of someone who'd been through a surprise Hell and back, who'd been thrown into a fantasy and realized it was more a nightmare than dream.

It was a bit of a shock, now that I realized it – these events hadn't just changed my world, they'd changed _me_. _'And it's not ending any time soon…' _I added silently, turning away. Nothing left to prepare, I pulled open the door to find Keith leaning against the side of the hallway – my room was kinda at the far end of the house. "Mewtwo call you up, too?" I asked, to which I received a tired nod. "Eh, figures – let's see what he wants."

I started down the hall, the scientist-turned-survivor following alongside me. "It's a bit insane, isn't it? All of this, I mean – we're living in a physically-impossible building, with creatures that aren't supposed to exist at all." He said after a few seconds, chuckling quietly. Wait, hang on – that bit _probably _won't make a lot of sense to you; let me explain.

The 'house' was more like a miniature Hall of Origins, with a physically real component to it. Took the form of my old house - courtesy of Palkia – but was a _lot _bigger on the inside, also thanks to said Legendary. When you've got several creatures that are ten feet tall or more, you need more space than the average house gets. But back to the conversation…

I looked at him for a second before laughing. "Dude, this has been going on for over a month, and you're just now sayin' that? Get with the program." I said, half-heartedly scolding him. Humor: a wonderful way to handle otherwise potentially scarring situations. He had a point, though; one I'd accepted a while ago, but a point nonetheless.

"Don't blame me; I've been too busy getting the others caught up with what's 'normal' here… or what was, anyway." He replied, shrugging. "Only way we're going to find that… what, Predator, was it? And Giratina, but that's another story."

I didn't have anything to say to that; the mention of those names reminded me what our 'mission' was this whole time._ 'Take down Giratina… that Tyranitar hybrid… and whoever's behind all this.' _It was ridiculous – I was planning to fight the most broken, overpowered Legendary alive, albeit with as much backup as possible if I was smart, and bring down something that most of the Legends couldn't handle. _'Arceus, I must be insane.'_

"_I would not doubt it by now." _The telepathic voice made me come back to reality, to see that we'd made it to the living room/meeting area of the house, where Mewtwo was sitting in a… psychic chair? _"A telekinetic construct, yes. Do not question things you surely could not understand." _He answered for me, reminding me just how annoying the guy could be. That thought made him narrow his eyes slightly, but I knew he wouldn't pull anything – the situation was too big for that.

Standing – or rather, floating – next to him was Mew, who looked nothing like the happy-go-lucky Legendary I was used to her being. Instead she had a quite worried expression, and was being surprisingly quiet. "Alright, Mewtwo; what's the-" I started to ask, only to be interrupted by Aurora walking into the room as well – evidently called by the clone along with us. "… anyone else we should wait for?" I asked after a second, crossing my arms.

"_No. The others are currently… painfully aware of the situation. All save for your Scyther, who I expect you will inform, and the hybrid."_ He replied calmly, never changing his expression. _"As for the situation at hand, it is this: we are running out of time. Mew has informed me that she knows precisely why the Tree is on the defensive." _Well, _that _was news to me – would've been nice to know that earlier, but…

When he didn't elaborate, I sighed. "And that would be…?" My question hung in the air for a moment, and it didn't look like I was going to get an explanation at first. Then Mew floated forward slightly, giving me an answer I really didn't like.

"_Part of the seed, root, whatever you wanna call it, got taken. It made the Tree really unstable, and it's straining to keep itself alive." _She said finally, looking down slightly like it was her fault. _"But it __**was **__my fault, Dave – keeping watch on the Tree is my responsibility." _Damn Psychics… really wish they'd stop doing that.

"We'll go over whose fault it is later, I think." Keith said quickly, cutting that short. "Right now, we need to plan. If we got that seed-shard back… would that fix things?" Heh… of course, the overpaid nerd would come up with an idea for this kinda thing.

Mewtwo answered before Mew could even 'speak'. _"A possibility. Of course, such a plan comes naturally with several problems, least among them being the lack of knowledge as to where the shard was taken."_

"Actually, I've got the answer to that one." I said after a second, surprising everyone. "Oh, _come on_ – it's not that hard to figure out!" I turned to Mewtwo with a fake-disappointed look and shook my head. "Really, Mewtwo – I expected better of you."

The mentioned Legendary narrowed his eyes at me. _"Perhaps you would choose to enlighten me, then? Or should I take the answer from you, would that be preferable?" _he asked, with so much venom that I almost felt hurt – alright, not really.

"Let's _think _about this. The only guy that was around to fuck things up was Predator. No one else here is stupid enough to do something like this." I began, getting a begrudging nod from the clone. "Now before you say anything, where would a villain who's been driven off go?" There was a few seconds of silence, and my right hand met my face in a wonderful facepalm when nobody answered.

"They go back to base, prepare, and come back with a vengeance." I crossed my arms and stared at Mewtwo before adding – in my _greatest _sarcastic tone ever – "Now class, figure this out for yourself: what do the heroes do… when they _know _what the villains are going to do?"

I guess I laid it on a bit thick with the sarcasm, because a psychic force suddenly pushed me up against a wall hard enough to knock the wind out of me. _"It seems I must make something clear, David." _Mewtwo snarled, standing up from his 'chair' and walking up to me. _"You have been given a certain amount of respect, due to your actions and ability to survive the odds. Do __**not**__, however, mistake your position as human among Legends." _The force vanished as quickly as it hit me, letting me drop to the floor and… well, _breathe_.

Mewtwo calmly sat back down, and seemed to forget anything ever happened. _"What the 'heroes' would do, logically, would be to ensure the 'villains' do not have a chance to make it to that third step." _He said evenly, looking at me with a mask of indifference. _"You suggest that we take this course of action, I suppose?"_

Aurora quickly helped me up off the floor, and I looked right back at Mewtwo with the same mask. "Damn right. They've had enough time to think about whether we're striking back or not, after all. And we've had enough time to collect ourselves – time we actually _did _something." Mewtwo was an ass sometimes, but he knew when the situation had priority. _'And you know I'm right.' _I added mentally, knowing he'd 'hear' it.

"… _Very well. However, I emphasize that the results of this 'plan' are on your head, David." _He said finally, nodding ever so slightly to me. Aurora shot him a glare, but I just couldn't help but smirk and tell her to cool it.

"Ah, let 'im be, Aurora." I said, shaking my head. "Guy's just sour about the whole situation, I'm sure." With a slight shrug, I added "So, I guess the next thing to do is-"

Of course, I was interrupted by the door slamming open as a shrunk-down Palkia burst into the room – wait, what? I blinked twice and, yep, I was seeing a human-height Palkia standing in the damn room. _"Spatial manipulation, don't ask – whose idea was it to make this room, of all of them, human-scaled?" _she snapped, stopping to catch her breath for a second. _"Whatever… there's something that Dialga and I picked up on that… well, let's say it sure isn't good."_

Everyone in the room was now looking at the shifted Legendary, but Keith was the one to ask "Well, what is it? What's so bad that you had to come barreling into the room?" It took a few seconds for Palkia to answer, but the response was something that _nobody _wanted to hear.

"_We found Giratina… and she's moving toward one of the Plates."_ Was the reply, and it left a silence hanging after it for a moment. _"From the energy we sensed, probably the Flame Plate." _She added to break the quiet.

I didn't give anything in response, I simply turned and headed to the door leading out of the 'house'. When Aurora asked me what I was doing, I just half-drew my sword and said "What the hell d'you think? I'm going Legendary hunting."

It sort of surprised me when she walked over to me, a faint flicker of Aura energy flashing around her paws. _"I will go with you, David. You might be skilled, but if Giratina chooses to fight you __**will **__need help." _She said simply, before I could ask anything. Denied my question, I settled for a cocky smirk instead.

"Alrighty then – let's go pay our friend a visit, shall we? And Palkia… mind giving us directions?"

_-POV Switch: Kairi; Approximately twenty minutes later-_

"Gardevoir, come here – quick!" Joey's voice echoed down into the small 'den' that we'd seemed to have made our temporary home, thanks to a generous Ninetales. The child had mostly recovered from his injury, though I still made sure that he didn't do anything too… adventurous. That he survived… well, it meant I hadn't completely failed my Trainer's request to keep him safe.

"_What is it, Joey?" _I asked, already on my way up to the surface from within what was essentially a hole in the ground. However, even before I made it outside, I could feel… _something _coming towards us, and quickly. Out of a strange impulse, I glanced back at where a fiery red slab of metal lay on the ground – exactly where it should be. _'What could be coming here?' _I wondered, shielding my eyes from the sunlight beaming into the den.

When my eyes adjusted, I noticed both Verden and Amber, the Ninetales who had lent us the use of her home, staring off to what I think was the north and into the sky. Following their gaze, my eyes widened as I recognized the silhouette of a Pokémon I'd never expected to see; the winged, serpentine form of the one known as the Renegade… Giratina.

I psychically pulled Joey closer to the den's entrance, and moved up to the other two Pokémon. Verden glanced at me when I approached, simply saying quietly "I've got a bad feeling about this…" I couldn't help but agree, honestly – the legends surrounding the approaching Legend were… not kind.

As Giratina came closer, I began sensing that something was very wrong. Ghostly Pokémon, like the mentioned Legend, never 'felt' right to me, but this was something else – the feeling given off by ones that had some sort of conflict with themselves. The feeling vanished even as I noticed it, but it had definitely come from Giratina. The Pokémon came to a halt not far in front of us, hovering several feet above the ground.

"You are in possession of something that I want – a relic." The Renegade began in an intimidating voice, fitting considering its appearance – though the sound of it seemed to be female, something I didn't expect. Her eyes, nearly a blood-red, scanned the three of us before settling on me. Needless to say, I was somewhat unnerved by the attention. "The metallic plate you've found… bring it to me."

Under any normal circumstance, I'd never hesitate to follow a Legend's orders, but something felt… wrong. First cause being… "How do you know that we have it?" The question made Giratina's eyes narrow, presumably at being questioned in the first place. "And… why do you want it, Giratina?" I added hesitantly, refusing to simply back down despite my better judgment. Something about this entire situation… wasn't right.

"You… dare to question me?" she asked after a moment, voice tinged with genuine surprise… as well as irritation. "Bring me… the plate. Do _not _drive me to take it myself." was her growled response to my silence. It made me take a step back, but also confirmed what I had thought before – this relic was important. Amber seemed ready to go retrieve it herself, but I stopped her with a mental _'Wait.'_

"_Joey, go back inside." _I added to the child, who gladly complied. With him… safer than we were, I decided to take a chance. "I've sent the human to retrieve it." I lied, which seemed to pass undetected by the Legend. "But… in return, perhaps an answer? What _is _it?"

"… Very well, I will answer your question. The relic is ancient, quite literally existing since the beginning of creation." Giratina began, somewhat reluctantly. As she continued to explain, I came to realize just what we'd stumbled across – a literal element of our world's creation! _'To think… a part of Arceus' own power, contained in such an unlikely object…' _

"Now that you're aware of what you hold… cease your stalling." The Legend shifted from nearly bored to alarmingly irritated. I took a step back, and saw Amber and Verden doing the same; each was giving me a look carrying the simple thought of 'What do we do?' "Did you honestly believe I would not notice? That you could deceive _me_?!" she growled, the shadowy 'wings' behind her splitting into semi-solid tendrils, each with dangerously pointed red tips.

"How 'bout you back off, Giratina?" Verden spoke up, seeming strangely confident considering our possible… opponent. I knew it was at least half-acted, of course - but that was unimportant. "Don't you go threatening _my _team." The Legend shifted to glare at him, and a storm of razor-edged leaves flew out from the plant on his body before swirling around him in a sort of barrier. _'That's something I've never seen…'_

Giratina was silent for a moment, spiked tendrils waving slightly in place – she almost seemed confused with the situation. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a dark laugh from her. "You honestly believe you can stop me… if this were another time, I might have found this amusing. However…" Faster than I could see, an orb of energy I recognized as a 'Shadow Ball' flew from the tip of one of Giratina's tendrils, merely striking the ground near Verden and still sending him skidding back from the impact. "I am not looking for entertainment. Give me the Plate, or I will take it from you... painfully, if necessary."

I saw an orb forming on each tendril, and realized that this was a fight we'd not win. "Enough, Lady Giratina – you've more than made your point."I said, trying to remain as calm as I could. When I realized I had her attention, I added "I will get the Plate for you, just a moment." It only took a moment of concentration, and the fiery-red slab appeared in my hands with a flash.

Immediately it was snatched up by one of the shadowy tendrils, and I think I saw a flash of… regret, maybe, pass over Giratina's face. "You chose well, Gardevoir." She said evenly, looking down at me before starting to drift away. "For your own sakes, hope we do not meet again. This world is unstable now… but it is nothing compared to what lies ahead."

I started to form a reply, even think of what to say, when I noticed the sudden 'appearance' of two more minds nearby. Both somehow familiar, and filled with… rage? Giratina's expression shifted to something between anger and surprise, and I followed her gaze past me to see… a Lucario and a human, both running all-out towards two skidded to a stop perhaps ten feet from us, and I noticed a blue-hilted blade in the human's hand.

The human was… familiar. The clothes were… normal, at least from what I knew; a black jacket with what seemed to be an Absol in silver on its front was the only thing that stood out. But his mind felt familiar – as if I'd met him before. In fact, both that and his appearance reminded me much of… _"D-David?" _

_-POV Switch: David-_

We got 'ported in, courtesy of Palkia's spatial abilities, maybe a hundred feet from a small group of Pokémon. I recognized a Gardevoir and a Venusaur, which struck me as a bit coincidental, and a Ninetales – those three seemed to be their own little band, from how they were bunched together. Then, of course, there was Giratina floating in Origin Forme in front of the three… and clutched in one shadowy tendril was a slab of red metal – had to be the Flame Plate.

"_David, are you sure about this?" _I heard Aurora ask, and it was a legitimate question. This _was _Giratina we were dealing with, and I probably should've brought some backup… but I was also pissed, and ready to kick some ass. Logic wasn't really high-priority right now.

"Damn right I am… let's go!" was my reply, before I bolted towards the group in a full run. I could hear Aurora's steps as she followed beside me, and I couldn't help but think how this _probably _looked like a scene right out of an anime; blade in hand, I took the short dash's time to… er, 'plan'. _'Cut up the Ghost-Dragon, don't get blasted, and try not to let the side-characters get dropped.' _… basic, sure – but it was enough for me.

On the way there, though, I noticed that the Gardevoir seemed to recognize me – not that it had any reason to, of least, that's what I thought until I heard _"D-David?" _That _had _to be the Psychic type; the voice was definitely female but not Aurora's, and Giratina was too busy just… staring at me. Probably trying to figure out why I just popped in outta nowhere. And if a Gardevoir thought she recognized me, then it could really only be… _'Kairi… right. Oh, Murphy – you're having a field day, aren't you?'_

I skidded to a stop next to the Gardevoir, with Aurora right behind me. "Hey. Love to chat, get everything squared away, but I've got a BIT of an issue with the Renegade, here. Spoilers: I'm… well, not quite who you think I am." I said quickly to her, glaring up at Giratina. Not the _best _way to put it, but… screw it, don't care.

And speaking of the Legendary…_ "You… you survived our last encounter?" _she asked pointlessly, showing more surprise than anger.

"Oh-ho, yeah I did." I snapped, bringing my blade up to point at her. "Not only that, but I've picked up some new tricks– ah, screw the theatrics. Round Two, bitch!" Her expression when I said that, or what I could see of it anyway, was honestly hilarious – that sort of 'The _hell _did you just say to me!?' kind of look.

My blade gained its usual blue aura as I focused, ready for one _hell _of a fight. A quick glance to the side showed me that Aurora was too, already charging an Aura Sphere. Now the real problem – somethin' I should've thought about, really – was how to _reach _Giratina. The Legendary could fly, after all… _'Wait, __**duh**__! It's… kinda obvious.' _"Aurora, let's get this started – toss me the ball, will ya?" Call me stupid, but if there's one thing I knew, it was this – the Master Sword was a damn good tennis racket.

The attack came flying at me, and I swung the blade like a metal-edged baseball bat. Just like I'd hoped, it went ricocheting off the metal towards Giratina, and I swear the attack seemed different – tinged with red, maybe. _'Aura from my sword? Hell, doesn't matter.' _Of course, the Legend didn't just sit there and take hits; that'd be too easy.

She seemed to coil _around _the attack, letting it go right past her and off into the distance. _"You are a stubborn human, I will give you that." _She snarled, drifting farther back. _"But I have no time to deal with you – there are far more important things to be dealt with than an angry child."_ I saw the air around her start… well, cracking, and a few seconds later there was a miniature black hole-looking 'opening' behind the Legendary.

'_Shadow Force, probabl- wait, is she bailing?!' _I couldn't believe this, I was being ditched by Giratina! "Oh, no you don't – Aura's Wind!" With an anime-style slash of my sword I sent an arc of bluish energy streaking towards the Legendary, only for it to be intercepted by a Shadow Ball. I was about to do it again, but before I could try Giratina had drifted into 'the void'. No, I don't actually know where it led, but that's what I was gonna call it.

"… Damn Legendary just bailed out of a fight." I muttered after a moment, glaring at where Giratina had just been. "I _literally _just got dismissed like nothing! No 'I'll deal with you later' or 'you stand no chance' speech… just ignored!"

"_David… perhaps an explanation is in order?" _Aurora's voice pulled me out of my little rant, and back to the situation at hand.

I turned around to look at the others and sighed. "Yeah, guess you're right, Aurora." First I looked over to the Gardevoir. "Going to take a guess – name's Kairi?" The Psychic's stunned look answered my question for me. "Oh, fantastic… and I suppose that makes the Venusaur there Verden; or is it Veteran?" Another surprised look, another silent confirmation. In fact, the only one who made any sound was Aurora, as she started walking towards the two familiar Pokémon.

"_It's great to see you two are alright after all of this." _The Lucario said, although I definitely heard normal 'Poke-speech' - she must have just been letting me understand her anyway. _"I… honestly did not expect to see you again, Kairi – or you, Verden." _The Venusaur seemed to shrug, and I swear I heard something dismissive yet relieved in… whatever he said.

After that, I figured I'd give them some time to catch up – if I was any judge, they were a damn tight team back in the Pokémon world, and _neither _probably expected to see the others again. Every now and then I'd catch them – presumably – talking about me, but I just left them to their chat.

'_Hm… wonder how long they've been here?' _I thought, sitting down on the grass with the Master Sword laid out next to me. _'… And a better question, now that I think about it – who __**else **__might be out there? Humans, missing Legendaries… anyone could still be alive, if these guys are.'_

I really don't know how long I sat there, thinking to myself while the Pokémon spoke among themselves – wasn't really keeping track. The thing that pulled me out of my thoughts was Kairi tapping me on the shoulder, making me turn my head to look at her. "Yeah, what's up? Aurora catch you up to speed, or…?"

"_Yes, she did. It's… difficult to believe, honestly." _She said quietly, letting out a shaky sigh. _"I will not lie, I mistook you for my… trainer, when you first arrived." _A lot of people – myself included – probably thought Gardevoir's line was just good at sensing emotions; they also, as I just found out, sometimes emitted whatever _they _were feeling – and in this case, I could feel more than a bit of sadness.

"I caught that, yeah – sorry he couldn't be here, Kairi." I said, standing up and putting my hand on the Gardevoir's shoulder. "He at least went down trying to hold back one hell of a monster… and ain't no way I'm letting that go to waste." That seemed to surprise the Pokémon, and I continued on. "We're not standing by during all this; no, we're going after the guy who started all this. And whatever plans he's got… we're gonna bring 'em crashing down. My question for you, though, is this: are you with us?"

There were a few moments of silence as she thought it over. I was about ready to say the usual 'I understand if you don't want to' thing, but I stopped myself when I saw her eyes… change, I guess. Call it cliché, over-used, whatever – but a spark caught behind those eyes. _"… yes. I cannot speak for Verden, but I will join you."_

I nodded once, saying "Great. We're gonna need all the help we can get, I'm sure - if this guy has what I think he does, anyway." I felt a slight rumble, and saw Verden stop several feet away, just looking at me. "What, you coming along too?" The look settled into a 'What do _you_ think?' expression, and I chuckled. "Yeah, figured as much."

The Ninetales, who'd been just sort of lurking in the background, also walked up to us. It - I wasn't going to assume male or female - looked over at Kairi and started talking. Obviously I understood a sum total of nothing, but the tone was semi-apologetic. The Gardevoir nodded understandingly, and turned back to me.

_"She has decided to remain here. It has taken some effort to find a habitable place in this world, and she understandably does not wish to give it up. She does, however, wish us luck." _

I looked to the Ninetales and gave her a thumbs-up. "Alright, that's fine - not gonna force ya to come along. And good luck to you, too - hope things don't go south." The fox-like Pokémon nodded, and I turned back to Kairi. "So with that decided, are we ready to go? You're prepared for living with actual Legends, right?"

"_Yes... well, as ready as I believe we'll ever be. But first… Joey, come up here child!" _The last bit seemed different, maybe a telepathic 'broadcast' or something? It sounded… different, really. I'm not a Psychic! _'Wait… Joey? Oh, for the love of Arceus, don't let it be __**that **__Joey…' _

Anyone who played Pokémon Gold would know the name Joey – that _one _Trainer, who trainer a Rattata; the best one ever, if you listened to what the kid told you. He'd keep calling for a rematch, over and over. I really hated the kid in-game, just because he was annoying – but all that changed when I saw what state he was in when he climbed out of the 'den'.

He looked much like he was depicted in... everything; backwards facing baseball-cap, with a new weathered look. His shorts were equally worse for wear, but still pretty much intact - but what got me was what _didn't _look the same. There was a strip of makeshift bandages across his chest, with dried blood staining them. And somehow, he still seemed... upbeat. Unfazed by whatever's come his way.

"Hell, what happened to the kid!?" I asked in surprise, looking back to Kairi. "You know what, no – we'll get your side of the story done back home. And with that said… Palkia, I _know _you're watching; Beam us up, will ya?"

Just as I thought, the Spatial Pokémon must've been keeping an eye on us… somehow. A weird rippling effect started around each of us, and before I knew it… well, let's say I blinked and we were in my living room. _"Order me around like that again, watch what happens." _I heard Palkia snap at me before I really even oriented myself. She was standing in front of us, still human-sized for convenience, and looked… surprisingly amused. _"You get away with it now because of that show. … and your friends are?"_

"Oh, right – Kairi, Veteran, Joey… I want to introduce you to Palkia, the Spatial Ruler and part-time construction crew." I said with a sweeping gesture and a slight smirk. "Palkia, our new guests. Treat 'em nice, alright?"

Palkia just... stared at me for a few moments, looking incredibly annoyed. _"You... are unbelievable." _was all she said before stalking out of the room. _"And we'll talk about your little encounter later!" _she called back as an afterthought.

I turned around to face my little group and chuckled. "Now... you're all confused, I'm sure. Aurora's going to play tour guide, if you don't mind?" The Lucario gave me a mildly irritated look but nodded. "Excellent. Get them used to the area, find them a room or something. I'll figure out what to do with 'em in terms of 'The Plan' later, but if either have questions... well, they'll know where to find me. Hate to talk and run, but I've got bad news to give to the crew, so... later, all!"

With that last statement I strode out of the room, headed for Dialga and Palkia's wing of the 'house'. _'That was definitely the Flame Plate Giratina had... and that's not good. But what does_ she _want them for? Eh, hopefully the duo can tell me._'

_-POV Switch: Eulacid, Approx. Three Hours later-_

"Sir, Giratina has retrieved the Flame Plate."

The voice belonged to another assistant - a woman, whose name I'd never bothered to remember. I turned away from the display in front of me to look at her, seeing the mentioned Plate in a specially designed container next to her. "… you are sure this is it, then? None of that 'drained' business this time?" I asked calmly, looking from the relic to its deliverer.

"W-we're sure, sir. All the tests point to it being similar to the object you already have." she replied quickly, nodding. "The remaining fourteen are currently undiscovered, but we're already working on a method to track them at long distance without the Renegade's assistance."

I allowed myself a brief internal smile, keeping my outward appearance a blank slate as always. "Excellent. I expect to know the location of the next Plate within the week." When she nodded and turned to leave, I added "And the progress on the Draconis Project?"

The assistant hesitated, then turned again to glance at me. "The... subject is still alive, however it is far from stable at the moment." A second's pause, then she sighed. "The project should reach the testing phase soon, perhaps a week or so."

With a wave of my hand I dismissed her, and I was left alone in the observation room. The displays around me showed various readings, the progress of tests, and other miscellaneous things that the scientists would handle. What interested me was the object held in the room that this one overlooked, separated by a window spanning the length of the wall.

Suspended in the center of the small room was a shard of crystal the length of my forearm. A blood-red glow seemed to filter through its surface, pulsing almost like a heartbeat. Alongside it was the Draco Plate, which had begun pulsing with a faint violet light ever since Giratina detected what she'd called the 'Flame' Plate. Between them was a vaporous stream of the same violet light, flowing into the crystal.

"… soon enough, I'll have them all." I said quietly to myself. "And then... then I will bring true order this shattered world."

_**A/N Post-Note - Before you all go, I have something to ask. First, tell me what you thought of the chapter - was it good, did it suck, or was it just... meh? But second, I'm curious as to what **_**you _think will happen in the future. And if any of you think you know what Draconis is... well, maybe you're right, maybe not. Anyway, I'll not keep you here any longer - see you on the next episode of Unstable Transitions: Judgment!_**


	2. Notice

**Alright, I've got some bad(?) news for you readers. By now, you've noticed that I haven't updated this story in a while - that's because I've been looking back, and realized that it's [as far as my brain can tell] a jumbled mess of plot-points. The more I looked, the more I realized that some things made no sense, some had been forgotten, and others just had no purpose. **

**With that said, I've made the decision to go back and re-write Unstable Transitions. This might be a real {REDACTED} move after having just started the sequel, but as it is I seem to have no path forward; the last chapter was an attempt at pushing through that, and I was definitely less than thrilled with the rushed-seeming result.**

**The plan in mind, as I think you guys might want to know, is a reboot; thought-out, paced better, but hopefully keeping what the original story had... whatever that ended up being. Until that plan becomes reality, of course, the original is going to stay up - I honestly wouldn't ****_want _****to take it down - but there obviously won't be anything coming to continue it.**

**Again, this might seem like a {REDACTED} move, but it's just how things need to be it seems.**

**== DarkLordMephiles, hide in a bunker.**


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